


5 Times the Doctor saw River in pain and the one time they could do something about it.

by riversongobsessed



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-07 14:49:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16856002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riversongobsessed/pseuds/riversongobsessed
Summary: What it says on the tin.A prompt I received on tumblr, imported from there, originally written in October 2016.





	5 Times the Doctor saw River in pain and the one time they could do something about it.

1.

In his defence he had just met her. She seemed so calm and collected and just the right amount of scared of the Vashta Nerada. Her team were dying around her and she was coping, she kept going and the Doctor was so concentrated on getting Donna back and keeping the remainder of their party safe that he didn’t notice the look on her face every time a member left.

Until Anita. He could only see this new woman out of the corner of his eye but he could see her cradle the helmet of her fallen friend. He could hear the heartache in her voice.

But he couldn’t help, it all went too quickly and then she was punching him and helping him. Then she was gone.

 

2.

“But trust you? Seriously?” Looking back he would curse himself for every saying it. But at the time he was angry, scared and worried and he took it out on her.

Walking away he didn’t see River’s head dip nor did he see her nod of thanks to Amy. It was hard to imagine that’d she was hurt by his words. She became so good at hiding the damage. 

So although he regretted saying it the Doctor was never aware of how hurt River was in those moments.

 

3.

She’d broken her wrist. Because he asked her to get out and then left her. Again. Know she was angry with him and still in pain even if it wasn’t her wrist and he couldn’t stop it. God he was trying to but no matter how old he was River was still a mystery.

She slapped him. Because he was a ‘sentimental idiot’. The two of them were hurting now, physically and emotionally. Too alike to accept the strength of the other’s love. River was hurting, and as much as he tried he couldn’t help. 

 

4.

This time he tried to help, bless him he did. He knew it wasn’t easy to lose parents. Taking into consideration that River often felt as if she never had parents to begin with it became even harder.

But she brushed him off and did her best to do as she was told and concentrated on looking after him instead. But after a while tensions mounted and she left without the Doctor ever helping her like he wanted to.

 

5.

She was all alone. A little girl on the streets of New York who was dying, alone. Every cell dying and changing and feeling like every nerve ending was on pain. Learning about Melody Pond, the woman who would grow up to be his wife, in fact regardless of that. Just knowing that this remarkable little girl who was so brave and running away. It made him proud.

But she was always brave, but the Doctor hated the idea of any one going through regeneration on their own. But upon River’s last request to not change a word of their life that meant he had to leave it and so Melody’s first regeneration was only accompanied by a homeless man who ran from her.

~~~

1.

River died. And the Doctor couldn’t stop that; no matter how many years he sat and thought about it all roads led to someone dying. But that didn’t mean he could save her afterwards and that was an idea that the stubborn man wouldn’t leave alone.

And so, years later, the Doctor was able to really save her. But she was still in pain; her body was trying to regenerate with no lives left. This time the Doctor wasn’t going to let her be in pain, or alone, for very long. He stayed with her and when River Song woke up there was no aching in her bones and at her side was the Doctor muttering promises that she would soon learn he would always keep.


End file.
